7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I. ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU

a. Ask and it will be given to you

If we ask for wisdom to settle a dispute, it will be given.

If we ask for the Holy Spirits leading in a decision, it will be given.

If we ask for our needs to be met, such as bills to be paid, it will be given.

23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

In that day…The Day of Pentecost, NOW, we have the Holy Spirit!

Jesus says in that day we will no longer as Him anything (He means personally, face to face), but we ask “In His Name”, and the Father will give us whatever we ask for.

Because of Jesus, we have been placed in direct relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.”

WHY? Because Jesus had not completed the work on the cross, and therefore no man had a right to the name of Jesus yet.

When we ask by His name, we first must belong to Him.

Second we realize that all we receive is only because of Jesus and the cross.

b. Seek and you will find

If God answered immediately every time we pray, would we have to seek?

We do not always receive the moment we ask.

But we are promised that if we seek an answer, we will find that answer.

If we pray for something, and we do not receive what we are praying for, we need to SEEK why that is.

This goes with what Jesus was talking about in the previous versus about examining yourself.

Are you at odds with God and expecting to receive?

c. He who seeks finds

Jesus tells us, if we seek we will find. It’s a promise!

d. To him who knocks, the door will be opened

Jesus says that if we knock, the door will be opened. Not that WE open the door, but that the door WILL BE OPENED for us!